Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Lands NBA 2K Cover

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Rylan Stiles | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 3:22 PM ET

A year ago, Thunder on SI interviewed the face of NBA 2K, Ronnie 2K ahead of the NBA 2k25 release. The conversations centered around superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Ronnie dropped this line during the interview, "I'd like to say he is a future cover athlete, one day I hope that happens."

One day is today. The cover for NBA 2K26 was revealed on Tuesday at 2:22 PM CT, featuring No. 2 Gilgeous-Alexander.

After years of being heavily featured in promotional material for the video game, Gilgeous-Alexander is now front and center to cap off what has been a historic season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar won his first NBA MVP award this season en route to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP honors during his championship run. Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring, inked the largest contract in NBA history, had his first signature shoe released and now finds himself on the cover of the only NBA video game.

On Thursday the NBA 2K26 Summer League gets underway with Gilgeous-Alexander plastered all over the Vegas circuit.

More on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Connection With NBA 2K

"[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] has been a 2K fan for years. It is amazing, this is our 26th one right, so a lot of these guys who come into the league have played 2K their whole lives," Ronnie 2K explained to Thunder on SI last summer. "This guy is all about it. I get texted all hours of the day between him, and his right-hand guy Simon, they literally texted me this morning about seeing the community's gameplay video. He is really tapped in, and obviously a star in this league."

"The guys that we work with, are people that authentically play and are historians of 2K. He is just a delight to work with, he is a really good dude and he obviously aligns with a lot of the things that we align with with fashion and music." Ronnie 2k discussed with Thunder on SI as the video game continues to feature the Thunder superstar heavily last summer.

Stay tuned throughout the summer for more news

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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